Facebook has unveiled a cutting-edge computer vision algorithm that can identify individuals in pictures even if some of those individuals are facing away from the camera, New Scientist reports.
Computer vision algorithms currently suggest tags for photos uploaded to the social network, but the latest exhibition of Facebook’s technology at the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition conference in Boston managed to identify people in 40,000 public Flickr photos with 83% accuracy. Even more uncanny, the algorithm was able to seize on unique identifying traits, such as hairstyles and recurring outfits.
“People have characteristic aspects, even if you look at them from the back,” Facebook’s head of artificial intelligence told New Scientist. “For example, you can recognize Mark Zuckerberg very easily because he always wears a gray T-shirt.”
It isn’t yet clear if the new algorithm will be incorporated into any of Facebook’s products.
Facebook’s Gorgeous New Campus Has a ‘Green Roof’ the Size of 7 Football Fields
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- How Far Trump Would Go
- Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
- Saving Seconds Is Better Than Hours
- Why Your Breakfast Should Start with a Vegetable
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Ryan Gosling
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com